Yeah, I'm With You Guys
by WritingWolf14
Summary: Having lost whatever shred of innocence she had, Clementine no longer holds an idealistic or hopeful view of the world, and instead strives only to stay alive. But with Luke at her side, Clementine discovers her black and white reality may have a bit of color still left...What exactly happened during the five day time skip in a House Divided?
1. Body Heat

**A/N: **Hey guys! This story will center around what happened on the five day skip mark on _Telltales The Walking Dead_ _A House Divided_. Flamers will be ignored.

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Clementine hugged her knees to her chest as her body shook from the chilly breeze of the night sky. The fire they carefully built was small and dim for safety purposes as walkers were attracted to bright lights including large fires; one out of few things they could only see. However, walkers were the least of the group's worries as Clementine came to find and so, another reason a big fire was simply out of the question.

Thanks to said reasons, Clementine found herself in a sense of deja vu. Not too long ago, she and Christa were in a similar situation trying to cook a weasel with the same thinking; a trick Omid taught them from before. At least, that was the plan until the older woman's already waning patience got the better of her and said, said older woman disappeared into the darkness in search of more wood ending not only in disaster but their separation.

...Stupid Christa.

Clementine bitterly glared at the small fire pit before tearing her amber eyes away from it completely, spotting her group of six members huddling together for warmth. Sarah wrapped tightly around her father Carlos, her petite body shaking like a leaf underneath the man's sheltering arms who fought his lonely battle with the cold. Doting husband Alvin gave his wife Rebecca his oversize coat to her, said coat was massive on the heavily pregnant woman as she rested her head on his shoulder. Shifting her gaze to Nick, she wasn't surprised to see him in the same position he was in; ever since his uncle died, the defiant light in his blue eyes had disappeared turning them a dull grey and void of any and all emotion; no different from a walker so to say.

Catching movement out of the corner of her peripheral, her hand instantly fell to the hammer she had at her side before her muscles relaxed noticing it was only the other member of the group-a rather important one at that, too.

"Ok everyone," Luke called as he passed out some blankets, "We only have four, so everyone pick a partner."

_Luke. _A man who Clementine knew she could trust above anyone else. This man was who everyone looked to for a sense of guidance and a group no matter how small, needs direction; it is the basic necessity for any survival situation and they were going to need every ounce of it.

_Now more than ever_ Clementine thought darkly as she scanned the bushes surrounding them for any sign of their pursuers.

Her amber gaze turned to the snowy peak of the mountain Luke had pointed to on his vintage paper map remember him saying it'll take the group about a week or so to get to their new destination and hopefully away from William Carver and his bandit gang. Clementine still didn't know much about any of these people but what choice did she have if she was ever going to find Christa?

If she was _ever_ going to _find_ Christa...

It had occurred to her sometime ago that if the gang Christa ran into the night they were separated were the same people they found at the river, than Carver was as dangerous as everyone said he was...

...Then Christa...

_No, No, No! _Clementine shook her head to be rid of the image of Christa's dying body sprawled on the forest floor! Christa was alive! She had to be! Clementine swore she would find her and find her she will! But even so, did she want to find her...?

_People die because of me... _Clementine felt tears form at the corners of her eyes as her thoughts ran wild in her skull. She thought of Lee, she thought of Omid, she thought of Kenny, she thought of Ben, and she thought of Christa. They were all gone because of her, because of her stupidity...everyone she knew and loved...

_...And soon it'll be us... _Nick's words haunted her more than she would have liked back in the shed, she knew, she just knew that in some way he was right or he was going to be...

Clementine soon noticed how cold and stiff her fingers were as she brought her hands to her mouth, blowing her breath on them in a white cloud of vapor to keep them from freezing as everyone turned in for the night even Nick laid on his side shutting his eyes to drift off into another nightmare, snuggling into the blanket he had all to himself.

...Wait? By himself?

"Here, Clem." Clementine heard Luke say as he sat down next to her holding his arm up offering her the other half of his blanket, "You can share with me."

Perplexed, Clementine inched closer to be in range of the blanket's corner as she wrapped herself inside it and all the while, pretending not to notice Luke's inviting arm, merely nodding in response.

"No prob." She heard him say hearing a smile in his voice before she felt his warm fingers around her shoulders. Reflexively she jerked away, afraid that someone else she cared about might disappear too, if they got close. However, Luke's hands never left. If he noticed her strange behavior he didn't show it nor reacted on it as he asked reassuringly, "Is that better?"

Lifting her frightened amber eyes to meet his warm brown orbs, his face was soft and he was smiling down at her in understanding. He of all people could empathize with the demons she carried. There was no hiding anything from this man as he was too stubborn for his own good to leave well enough alone. He was pushy with her and never let up even when she told him otherwise. Yet somehow, someway, through it all, he had wormed his way into her heart because of it.

"...Much." Clementine felt her body relax as she laid down on her side with Luke hugging her close _  
_

"I told'cha," Luke chuckled as he held her closer to his chest. "I'm an expert at talking to girls who don't want to talk to me..."

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**A/N: **Like it hate it? Want me to continue?

**Fun Fact: **In "All That Remains" if you choose silence too many times, Luke says he is an expert at talking to girls who don't want to talk to him, implying that he has been rejected by girls, but continued to try to talk to them.


	2. Down by the Stream

**A/N: **I just wanted to say thank you for all your kind reviews, they really help me out and encourage me to update story centers around a brother sister relationship between Clem and Luke

And lastly, Flamers will be ignored.

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The gemblue stream was babbling and burbling as it swerved around the limestone rocks. Clementine had remembered her teacher once said that streams were the liquid soul of the forest, and this one was glowing. Chords of sunlight speared down from above, bathing its surface in gold. It was glinting and sparkling, like a thousand diamonds blessed with an inner fire.

Clementine sat by the water's edge in contemplative thought. She had been like this for quite some time gazing dispassionately at her reflection in the water's surface.

The chubby cheeked baby face had been gone for over a year and her features had thinned, forming into a more define oval reminding her of what her mother use to look like.

Ask for her father, she had his strange eyes, piercing and almond-shaped- _Wolf eyes_ he had called them.

...She was no wolf. Wolves were hunters, cold blooded killers; they were powerful and most of all, they were fearless. Many times, fear had gripped her and many times, she felt it's icy stab knife her into paralysis even now she felt the numbing tingle slither down her spine as goosbumps formed along her arms, and because she froze, _others_ had paid the price...

"Hey,"

Whirling her head around, Clementine jumped to her feet startled by the sudden voice and startled even more at herself for not hearing their approach. She was lucky it was only Lu... _Oh right..._

"There ya are," Luke sounded relieved, "Ya took so long I thought something had happened to ya."

Lowering her head, she was thankful the brim of her hat hid her flush of embarrassment as she had remembered the sole reason they stopped here. Apart for Rebecca's sake, Luke had suggested a location nearest to the stream where they could not only rest their legs but quench their thirsts and refill their cantines before continuing their trek through the pines. It was a smart move and Luke was becoming a natural at this leadership role-much better than how Lilly ran things not to mention his way was a lot _smoother _and everyone had a mutual agreement to his plans- there was no fighting no hostility of any sort- he even made it look easy! But Clementine knew that their calm and relaxing pit stop could just as well end as soon as it started due to one simple truth:_ Her. _Clementine had not only cost the group time, she _might_ have cost them their very _lives_...

William Carver could be right behind them.

"Hey its ok," Luke smiled as he knelt down to be eye level with her affectionately pulling at her hat's brim, "Just as long as yer ok, that's all that matters."

When will she stop being a burden to everyone...? All the little things she was doing, have been doing, are the reason her friends weren't here. How many more lives will it take for it to just click in her mind? Is everyone meant to pay for her mistakes? It should be her... it should _only_ be her.

"...Ya don't talk much, do ya?" Luke cocked his head to the side as he studied her inquisitively before he stood up walking over to the water's edge. She could hear him yawn followed with a stretch.

Clementine had been holding her empty cantine in her hand; having been daydreaming this entire time, she remembered she hadn't refilled it and returned back to her spot submerging her cantine in the cold water before twisting the cap tightly closed. She turned to leave and as she did, her vision spotted something skidding across the water's surface as multiple ripples formed acting as a sort of trail! Having never seen anything like it before, Clementine stared in wide eyed shock, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' shape.

_Was it a fish of some sorts?_

"Hey Clem!" Snapping her head in the direction of the voice, Luke waved at her,"Watch this!"

Unsure of what he meant, Clementine saw him throw his arm back underhanded before flicking his wrist as if he was throwing something and suddenly, she witnessed the same ripple trail pitter-patter along the water only this time it was much faster and hard to follow before it had disappeared like the last!

"Whoa..." Clementine muttered under her breath as she turned back to Luke who merely smiled at her. Excitement bubbling to the surface of her features, she jogged over to Luke before asking, "How did you do that?"

"C'mere, I'll show ya," He offered as he led her to the water's edge, holding out his hand, "All you need, is this."

"A rock?"

"A flat stone," He corrected, handing it to her,"Try to look for the thinnest rock possible. The smoother and flatter the stone, the better it'll skip across the water." Clementine allowed Luke to show her how to properly hold the stone placing her index finger on one side and her thumb on the other, "Now, be sure to stand with your feet shoulder width apart facing sideways with your non-dominant side closest to the water's edge."

"Like this?" Clementine got into her stance.

"You got it!" Luke beamed before instructing, "Now all that's left is to flick it."

"Flick it?"

"Yep, just like a Frisbee," He nodded, "Remember, it's all in the wrist."

"...O...kay..." Clementine muttered under her breath before her gaze fell to the water and with a shaky grip, Clementine threw her arm back underhanded about to send the stone sailing but once again she felt herself unable to move. The tiny survival instinct that had been scratching to the surface of her brain could no longer be ignored before the girl allowed the stone to fall from her fingers into the water as the stone whisked about in the under wash like a piece of glitter.

_She was doing it again..._

"Clem?" Luke turned to her in concern, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Luke..." She replied sadly.

"What?" Luke asked unsure, "Why?"

"...It's just..." Clementine turned away keeping her gaze firmly on the ground before saying, "...Stuff like this...it gets you killed."

"Clem..."

"I'm sorry," Clementine said again shaking her head, wanting the subject dropped as she turned to go, "...Forget it. Its nothing."

"Hey..." Luke call to her, his voice strangely soft and comforting in her ears as she stayed finding her legs unresponsive to her command to simply move, "...I know that-that ya got some things on your chest just like we all do, but..." Clementine looked up seeing the struggle swimming in Luke's chocolate brown eyes as he tried to place words to his thoughts. Clementine noted how nervous the man was making it hard for the girl to hold back a smile before Luke said softly, "...I'm here."

Clementine's breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded in her chest like a heavy bell in the cage of her ribs as her ears flooded with Luke's simple words. Meeting his eyes, she didn't care if he saw the tears forming, she smiled up at him nodding as Luke motioned for her to sit down next to him. The group could wait a little bit longer in both their opinions as the pair exchanged their stories finding they had more in common than they thought. Having ignored his questions before back at the cabin, Clementine was happy to have this chance now while they were alone.

"My parents went on vacation and left me with a babysitter..."

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**A/N:** If you guys have any suggestions or ideas you want to see in this story feel free to leave them in the reviews or PM me and I will put them into consideration.

**Fun Fact: **Amber eyes are of a solid color and have a strong yellowish/golden and russet/coppery tint. This is due to the deposition of the yellow pigment called "lipochrome" in the iris (which is also found in green and violet eyes). Amber eyes should not be confused with hazel eyes; although hazel eyes may contain specks of amber or gold, they usually tend to comprise of many other colors, including green, brown and orange. Also, hazel eyes may appear to shift in color and consist of flecks and ripples; while amber eyes are of a solid gold hue.


	3. No one's Blame

**A/N:** Hey guys sorry for taking so long to update! Rest assured I will not give up on this story.

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Clementine stirred in her sleep feeling a terrified Sarah wrap her arms tightly around her as the girl mumbled in her dreams. Trying to wiggle free without waking the fifteen year old teen was like asking a walker nicely to not eat her- it wasn't going to happen- and so, Clementine was forced to concede and settled back down onto the cold soil ground.

Clementine wouldn't have normally made a big deal out of it if only they weren't in the middle of the wilderness with the feeling of exposure a constant reminder of how _safe _it was out here then sure, why not add immobility to the list? It was like pouring yourself in gasoline and playing with a matchstick, nothing could go wrong!

Another flare of pain shot up her right shoulder and Clementine tenderly rubbed at the bruise she received from her fall today. If she hadn't had thrown herself into Sarah, the girl would have been walker food for sure…

Today had been awful….

After she and Luke had returned from the stream that was only meant to be a short trip turned into an hour of story swaps, a herd of walkers had attacked the unsuspecting group as their screams echoed through the pines.

Clementine had remembered spotting Sarah in the midst of the danger, remembered seeing the girl's imminent death. Luke and the others were still trying to fight off the herd not noticing the peril Sarah was in. Clementine sprang to life, moving like the wind in open defiance in her desperate attempt to reach Sarah throwing herself through the air with her arms outstretched towards the other girl. Clementine remembered colliding with Sarah hitting the ground with her shoulder, her arms encircling and clutching her closely and protectively to her chest before getting back to her feet and pulling her hammer out plunging the object into a walker's skull as blood and brain tissue erupted from the gaping hole in its head before it fell into a heap at their feet.

She kept Sarah close behind her until their rescuers came, "We got to make a run for it!" Luke had said as everyone followed his lead.

Today had been so awful…

Only now had Sarah calmed down and gone to sleep; Clementine was shocked Sarah had stuck to her like glue even well after the threat was gone and all the while, Clementine didn't know what else to do except hold her and tell her it was going to be alright and it seemed to have worked…she hoped.

"Ok Carlos," Clementine shifted her tired gaze over to Luke who walked over to the good doctor, no doubt relieving the man of guard duty, "It's my watch now, go on an get some rest."

"I can't sleep, Luke…" Carlos replied staring absently into the small flames of the fire pit, his hooded eyes looked jaded in the light of the fire, "Not after what happened today."

Clementine eyed Luke who opened his mouth to speak but closed it choosing silence, the better option. An option Clementine mostly used even to this day as she listened in on their conversation.

Carlos closed his eyes in quiet solitude before sighing heavily, "I almost lost my little girl today…"

"You didn't though," Luke quietly replied, Clementine quickly shut her eyes when Luke glanced in her direction, "Clementine got to her in time."

Blearily peeking one wolf eye open, Clementine espied Carlos lifting his head looking over the fire staring at Sarah and her, she saw the fear of loss and pain swim in his eyes before he said, "When you left, I put Nick in charge of lookout and you can see how well that turned out…"

Clementine's eyes widened fractionally, she didn't know this. Nick was the lookout?

"He's mental stability is weakening, Luke." Carlos had that look on his face again, the same expression he glared to her when they talked in the cabin: he didn't trust Nick. "Your friend is a danger to us."

"No." Luke shook his head at the older man; Clementine could see the anger bubbling to the surface as he said, "It was _my_ fault." Clementine held a hand to her mouth preventing a gasp to escape her lips as Luke continued, "Clementine and I were horsing aroun' down by the stream….we lost track of time and you know the rest."

"What were you doing playing?!" Carlos' rage intensified at the younger man as he rose to his feet, "William Carver is after us and you're _playing games_?!"

Luke lowered his head staring at the ground saying nothing. What could he say? What was there to say?

_Say something…! _Clementine pleaded silently.

Tongue tied, Luke replied somberly, "…I'm sorry…"

Balling his fists, Carlos gritted his teeth enraged at the younger man turning his gaze towards Clementine's direction who had successfully closed her eyes before Carlos had caught her. All was silent for a time and Clementine was too afraid to open her eyes again.

Carlos spoke first, "See to it that it does not happen again, Luke."

"Yes sir." She heard Luke quietly respond and Clementine heard Carlos' footsteps fade into the background before she carefully peeked one eye open again seeing Luke staring into the fire, a dejecting look smearing across his face.

Sarah flopped over onto her other side in her sleep to Clementine's relief as she sat up stretching and hugging her knees to her chest. Too caught up in his thoughts, Luke hadn't noticed her movement much to Clementine's displeasure- he was tonight's lookout after all.

Scanning the area, the bushes rustled harmlessly in the wind and a light drizzle fell from the velvet sky, all was quiet and Clementine looked to the others: Carlos had his eyes tightly shut, his sleep looked far from peaceful as his head rested atop his backpack and his fingers intertwined resting on his stomach he looked like a grumpy troll from one of Sarah's books and Clementine couldn't help but giggle at the notion. Alvin and Rebecca were in each other's arms sleeping soundly-no surprise there- Alvin reminded Clementine of an oversize teddy bear he even LOOKED comfortable to sleep next to! Nick on the other hand, had been mumbling something Clementine had a hard time understanding and the poor guy twitched in his sleep-no doubt another nightmare to add to his night- he was going to be cranky in the morning again...

_No doubt he's going to receive the cold shoulder from Carlos as well… _Clementine's eyebrow furrowed in contemplation, dreading for what tomorrow may bring.

"Jesus Christ…!" Clementine jumped hearing Luke's startled voice as he released the handle of his machete letting his arm drop, rubbing his eyes, "Clementine…ya scared me…I-I thought…"

"That I was a walker?" She asked, a sullen smile curving her features.

"Sorry…I" Luke trailed off, rubbing his eyes trying to remain awake before realizing, "Hey-! What are ya doin' awake?"

Clementine's shoulder's sagged and she turned away scanning the bushes again before quietly replying, "You know why…"

"Yeah…I do." Luke's voice was heavy and raw with emotion as he continued, "It wasn't yer fault…I don't want ya to blame yerself."

Clementine turned back surprised Luke caught onto her little pretending so easily before asking, "Am I that predictable?

"Only to me." Luke gave her a wink.

Smiling, Clementine's gaze drifted down at Sarah before turning back to Luke, memories of the early days when everything went to hell came rushing back to her as she remarked, "The first day is always the roughest."

"An we got five or six more to go."

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**A/N: **Again, sorry for taking so long to upload I will have the next chapter posted within a few weeks and I want to thank you all for your encouraging reviews! Thank you.

**Fun Fact: **Carlos was actually considered the leader of the group, yet Luke makes all the decisions for them. So I kind of wanted to put that sort of authority in this chapter.

What do you guys think? Like it? Hate it?


	4. Splat!

**A/N: **Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long! Thank you once again for your awesome reviews they mean so much to me! Here you go, I hope you enjoy it.

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_Omid's knees gave way and the man grunted as he hit the floor smacking down hard onto the broken tiles beneath him. Clementine stood frozen, staring in wide eyed shock upon the sight of her guardian's lifeless body only a mere half a foot away from her; an ocean of blood had begun to pool around him seeping vibrant and obscene, over the cracked and dust covered bathroom floor._

_Clementine muffled a whimper holding her hand to her mouth as she witnessed Omid's eyes roll in the back of his head and Clementine swore she heard the ghost of Christa's name trail out his blood clotted mouth._

_ A handful of seconds had past yet for Clementine, it might as well been an eternity and when Christa came barreling in, Clementine could only watch in horror as the woman's eyes narrowed in on her child's father._

"I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!" __Out of the corner of her peripheral, Clementine saw the girl drop the gun holding her hands up in surrender, her pleas falling on deaf ears, __"I didn't mean to!"

_Clementine and Christa's eyes locked onto one another for a few tense seconds and all of time seemed to painfully slow down for the nine year old. Deep down, almost completely hidden from view, just a small flicker of emotion rose to the surface of her guardian's eyes. It was like anger, but so much more powerful, it was rage, it was _hate_. _

_It scared her..._

_Clementine could feel her heart pumping erratically and her stomach churn nauseously. This was it. Christa's brown eyes seemed to darken, and a foreboding chill crept up Clementine's spine. With one last stern glance, Christa's hateful glare locked onto her target and when she pulled the trigger, Clementine nearly fainted._

_Omid wasn't the only thing tragic to have died that day...Clementine and Christa had lost something else, something irreplaceable._

_...And ever since then, the feeling of hollowness took root._

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Hours had passed and Clementine had been awake for quite some time. After having that nightmare, she just couldn't fall asleep for the life of her! She didn't mind though, she made sure to keep her tired mind sharp ignoring the dizziness and skull spliting headaches in the process; she was fine! Weary is for the weak and sleep is for the dead after all, right?

Her mother use to tell her that when people can't sleep it just meant they were awake in someone else's dream. A rather silly notion once you thought about it, who could possibly be dreaming about her? Everyone she has ever known was dead!

Sighing, Clementine felt irked. Having been holding in the urge to piss this whole time, she knew it couldn't wait any longer but the rules were that you had to have someone else with you especially at night. Clementine turned seeing only Nick and Luke and with no other females awake, she really didn't want to have the _guys _follow her into the woods just to hear her pee, it was way too embarassing!

But damn it, she had to _go_...!

Suddenly, something soft and fleshy smacked hard onto the bridge of her nose and Clementine jumped, wiggling free of the culprit's clutches! Only to spot the person who belonged to that soft and fleshy thing: It was an arm and it was Sarah's.

...So much for staying sharp.

"Sarah...!" Heavy lidded eyes glared down at the girl who mumbled something in her sleep, "Hey," Clementine whispered, poking the girl in the ribs, "Roll over."

Sarah groaned and shifted after the contact of Clementine's finger in her ribs, but seemed to dismiss it and stretched. Then, as if Sarah just remembered she still had a sleeping buddy, the teen looped an arm around Clementine, pulling the other girl closer to her.

_Oh great...! _ Clementine mused as she squirmed, trying to get some room, but that only made Sarah hold on tighter.

She huffed, defeated, "...You're lucky I kinda like you, Sarah."

As if that were the magic words of release, Sarah rolled over one final time and Clementine wasted not a second as she crawled away out of Sarah's reach, sitting there and sighing in relief.

_How does Carlos handle you...? _Clementine mused turning her head seeing the good doctor have his arms wrapped around his back pack sleeping just as soundly. _Of course... _

Finally free, she took one last look to see if Luke and Nick would notice her and when they didn't so much as glance in her direction, she reached for her backpack gathering her hammer as well, careful not to make any sound. Slowly she back away before power walking down the trail into the pines, her bladder feeling like it was going to explode on her!

Finally, she made it to a tree not too far away from camp yet far enough where no one will _see_ or _hear_ anything much to her relief! Dropping her backpack where she stood, Clementine went behind the tree and proceeded to do her bussiness.

Having done this like a zillion times, she made sure to keep her weapon with her just in case any walkers show up, that one mistake that cost Omid's life was something she swore she would _never_ allow herself to repeat _ever_ again.

_No matter what..._

Clementine squatted there for a few minutes, lifting her head towards the sky seeing the large mountain off into the distance, her thoughts drifted back to her mother's words and Clementine wondered if the reason she couldn't sleep _was_ in fact because someone was dreaming of her, she liked to believe it might have been Christa alive and well and out there... somewhere.

_Please be lucky..._ She pleaded silently.

She knew Christa blamed her. She never said it, but she could see it. The woman was never the same again after that. The light in her eyes dimmed every time her guardian looked at her, the tone in her voice grew ridged and terse whenever she had to speak to her, and her attitude towards her...she lost her temper a lot more than she use to...

Not to mention, there was no more laughter, no more jokes. It died when Omid died and stayed dead like he did- like she made _sure_ he did...

After finishing, Clementine zipped her jeans up looking around to find where she set her backpack.

"Better hurry before they notice..." Clementine mumbled to herself, fearing they might turn around any second finding her gone.

_Now, where was her backpack...? _A slight breeze blew past and her and her whole body shivered, jolting her in surprise. She frowned a little, that was odd, it felt like she was being watched. She turned, scanning the area for any signs of movement, was she just imgining it? She shook her head dissmissing the thought, perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her due to fatigue...? But then, suddenly...

...She _heard_ something.

Clementine stopped, gripping her hammer as she listened for the noise again eyeing the blackness all around her befbut shook her head when she found nothing. She steeled herself. She needed to find her backpack and get back as fast as she could, she didn't have time to mess around! For all she knew it could be an animal or just the wind or her mind screwing around with her. She didn't know nor did she care right now, she was exhuasted and she needed- _wanted_\- sleep!

Clementine pushed herself forwards with that thought walking around the corner of her tree before freezing in her tracks...

"Oh no..." Clementine breathed in disbelief, panic bubbling to the surface of her chest like acid erosion and she found it hard to breath all of a sudden.

There, laying on the soil was definitely her backpack, however...

Clementine hid behind the tree pressing her back flat against the trunk holding a shakey hand over her mouth as she tried to control her erratic breathing before peeking around the corner spoting a figure, kneeling in the dirt with their hands in her backpack...!

Over the course of a year, Clementine had done a great number of gruesome, unforgivable things, shaping and molding her into the person she is today, but nothing would ever blunt or lessen the act of this night.

On the day she would die in however inhumanly way imaginable, a life lived with many hardships, she would still see the vision of this boy's skull slpit open, blood splatering upon her eyelids.

"Not again..." She shook her head, eyes wild with fear as she threw her arm back, "Not...again..."

_...Splat!_

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**A/N: **I know this chapter is a little darker than the others, but when I played Walking Dead Episode 3, it really intrigued me when Carver mentioned that Clementine and him share a lot of similarities and how he told the group she had seen and done things you can't even imagine, and so, I thought I'd elaborate on some of those things.

**Fun fact: **Lack of sleep impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for:

Heart disease, Heart attack, Heart failure, Irregular heartbeat, High blood pressure, Stroke, and Diabetes.

Over time, lack of sleep and sleep disorders can contribute to the symptoms of depression causing the most common sleep disorder, insomnia, the strongest link to depression.

Sleep-deprived people seem to be especially prone to poor judgment when it comes to assessing what lack of sleep is doing to them. In our increasingly fast-paced world, functioning on less sleep has become a kind of badge of honor. But sleep specialists say if you think you're doing fine on less sleep, you're probably wrong. And if you work in a profession where it's important to be able to judge your level of functioning, this can be a big problem.

Studies show that over time, people who are getting six hours of sleep, instead of seven or eight, begin to feel that they've adapted to that sleep deprivation - they've gotten used to it. But if you look at how they actually do on tests of mental alertness and performance, they continue to go downhill. So there's a point in sleep deprivation when we lose touch with how impaired we are.

Lack of sleep can also cause cardiovascular disease doubling the risk of death.

So carry on and sleep well guys!


	5. Lies will kill you Slowly

**A/N: **Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. How was your Christmas and New Year?

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Clementine's hands were red having rubbed them raw along with 80% of the rest of her body and she knew if she continued anymore she'd probably bleed. Sighing in defeat, she sat back resting against a boulder near the fire pit absent mindingly gazing at the thin trail of grey smoke which rose from the ashes of it's fading flame.

Clementine was perturbed. The signs were barely seen or known to anyone who was not a keen observer or one who possessed an extensive knowledge of her body language and facial expressions. Unfortunately for Clementine the only person alive capable of such things was currently standing a foot away from her.

Luke, standing guard, had sighed noticing the girl's frustration with him. A frown passed over his brow for a moment before he turned to her, "Don't look at me like that Clem. I'm only doing this so I can keep you safe. You ran off last night and you came back _covered_ in blood..."

_Here we go... _Clementine repressed the urge to roll her eyes at the man, she knew she should have fabricated a better story even though the 'It was a walker' was the best lie she could come up with while thinking on her feet at the present time fooling the others, she knew however, Luke would continue to press her for answers...

"I was there, I know..." Clementine exasperated, dipping her water bottle down and drenching her hat in its warm contents before scrubbing the blood smeared across the 'D', frustrated all the more when the stain wouldn't come off.

Luke, being the previously mentioned expert on Clementine's every move noted the action with a quirked eyebrow, "Clem?"

"I'm fine Luke!" She snapped, letting her hand drop to her lap glaring daggers his way, "Quit asking me! You're making me mad..."

"How the hell do'ya think I feel?!" Luke turned fully around to face her, his expression fierce and determind as he loomed over her, "What the hell happened to ya that ya can't seem to tell me a god damned thing about?!"

The girl who cried walker dropped her eyes, failing to meet his gaze. She knew if she were to tell him, of course he wouldn't understand-could never understand the brutality of what it takes to make the hard decisions a survivor had to do in order to make it in this new unforgiving reality- Luke was a strong and capable leader but Clementine knew for a fact if it ever came down to it, his heart would be too soft to end a potentially dangerous individual that came crawling out of the shadows in the pines.

_I'd do it again if I had to... _She swore bitterly. She didn't want to be just an everyday survivior scrounging around for scraps of food or hiding in bushes clutching to her small weapon and fearing for her life from both walkers and people. No. Clementine desperately wanted to _live._

And if that made her a... well, she would have no regrets.

"Clem? Clem, look at me." Luke's voice was soft and warm but Clementine could hear the curiosity, wariness, and concern behind his words. "Good or bad... I want ya to know ya can tell me anything. You know that dont'ya?"

Clementine looked at him and he looked back at her. Slowly the crease in his eyebrows lessened. Inside her ribcage Clementine's heart beat an un-natural rhythm. Slowly, not taking her eyes from Luke, Clementine opened her mouth to speak.

"I had to pee really bad, Luke." She told him seriously, almost coldly. "That's it."

Luke blinked and Clementine knew a sea of more questions had begun to form behind his eyes and lips parting to speak them she was gratefull to whatever god there was out there he could not form any words to say. Clementine continued to hold her blood smeared hat between her palms as Luke stared wordlessly into her hollow amber eyes.

"...A walker tried to grab me," She continued, her voice low as it fell into a whisper, "I killed it."

Luke stared at her for what seemed like an eternity for Clementine, the doubt in his eyes were as clear as day and yet...

"I know I look like a child," Clementine's gaze never faltered even as the words she spoke were as deadly as a double edged sword to both her and Luke, she knew it must be said. "But my childhood died a long... a _very_ long time ago when the dead started walking; so dont lecture me on _danger_, Luke."

She noticed Luke's eyes widened fractionately and the man was quiet for a handful of heartbeats as he regarded her keenly for a moment. Luke frowned at her, shaking his head.

"Okay..."

* * *

**A/N: **Happy 2015!


End file.
